The Death Of The Printed Cookbook?

The Death Of The Printed Cookbook?

Alta Editions wants to bury in a deep grave. Sorta.

The editors of online publishers Alta Editions contend that in the year 2014, producing something “unconventional” online might sound kind of funny. But that is exactly what they have in the works with their latest project, a collaborative digital cookbook featuring three chefs we know well at Food Republic: Jesse Schenker (Recette, The Gander), Jehangir Mehta (Graffiti, Mehtaphor) and Francisco Migoya (Modernist Cuisine).

Featuring photos from Evan Sung (who will be debuting a column here in the coming days), the “book” does not require an e-reader (Kindle, iPad), but will be dynamic across all digital platforms including desktop and mobile devices. Translation: once logged in book owners can review the recipe on a computer at work, then cook from it via a smartphone. Sounds a bit like an Internet recipe database (like the one herecough cough). But Alta Editions promises extras like inline tips, instructional videos, visual prep and flashy shopping lists. Here’s a Kickstarter video preview of the new cookbook, titled Unconventional if you didn’t get the point that this was an unconventional cookbook. You can pre-purchase the book for $5, or pledge a lot more if you are on the whole death to the printed cookbook bandwagon. And you can read more about the changing cookbook landscape in a Medium story written by Alta Editions publisher Chris McBride.